DVD Review: Lonesome Dove

Thanks to an ice storm, I had nothing better to do in last two days than to watch the miniseries Lonesome Dove (6 hours 13 minutes; $14.98), which will be re-released on a 2-disc DVD from Mill Creek Entertainment on February 19th.

The 1989 miniseries is based on the novel of the same name by Larry McMurtry, which was inspired by failed movie script McMurtry had co-wrote with Peter Bogdanovich that originally attended to star John Wayne, Henry Fonda, and James Stewart. Of course the "film version" never occurred resulting in McMurtry writing the novel, which was published in 1985. William D. Wittliff adapted the book for television with Simon Wincer in the director's chair.

The miniseries' cast includes Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, Diane Lane, Danny Glover, Robert Urich, Diane Lane, Anjelica Houston, Steve Buscemi, Tim Scott, D.B. Sweeney, Rick Schroder, Chris Cooper, and Frederic Forrest.

Lonesome Dove centers around two former Texas Rangers, Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call (played by Duvall and Lee), leading a cattle drive from Lonesome Dove, Texas to Montana. Along for the ride with them is Jake Spoon (played by Urich), an ex-Texas Ranger; Lorena Wood (played by Lane), a prostitute trying to escape to a better life; Joshua Deets (played by Glover), a former Texas Ranger scout; Pea Eye Parker (played by Scott), another ex-Texas Ranger; Newt Dobbs (played by Schroder), Call's illegitimate son; and Dishwater Boggett (played by Sweeney), the ramrod of the trail herd.

Final Thoughts

I hate to admit I've never seen the miniseries Lonesome Dove before I had received this DVD release. I was in the first grade when it originally aired in 1989, and as you can probably can imagine, I wasn't into westerns at that point of time in my life. After finally watching the 4-part miniseries, I can now understand why so many people love it so much.

For a DVD release, the picture and sound quality is pretty decent. The film is split into 4 parts, just like it originally aired on television, with each disc containing 2 parts. The only special features is the 50-minute "Behind-the Scenes" Featurette. Additionally, the DVD does come with a Digital code that can only be redeemed and streamed on Mill Creek Entertainment's website.

Overall, Lonesome Dove is one of the best westerns ever filmed. (FYI: My favorite western is still Two Mules for Sister Sara!). The miniseries has an outstanding cast and great cinematography. I recommend the new DVD release to all western fans, if you don't already own it.